Tuning up our Brain for the Test

This is an excerpt from Fireworks Issue 006, written by Dr. Anita Collins as a Research Reflection.

As a music teacher, how often have we heard the phrase, “I have to skip rehearsal, I have a test”? In my school, as in many schools, we have our only rehearsal time in the morning prior to school starting, and I hear this comment regularly through the school year.

Sometimes I ask the students what they will be doing instead of coming to rehearsal. A common answer is “I need to study”, to which I wonder how effective study done one hour before the test begins will actually be for the outcome. Research into effective test and exam preparation has shown that last minute cramming does not guarantee improved test results. Indeed, in one study they found napping was more beneficial to learning outcomes than cramming.[1]

Another common answer is “I will be too nervous/worried/hyped up” to play my instrument. This answer makes me wonder if this is the best emotional state for students to be in prior to a test or exam. Research has shown that students with higher test anxiety tend to perform worse on exams.[2]

If cramming before the test and experiencing worry and anxiety before the test is unlikely to improve the test score, why don’t they just come to rehearsal? This approach speaks to the idea that students might as well come to rehearsal because they don’t have anything else to do.

But what if we could change the reason why students should attend music rehearsal before a test. Students could see the music rehearsal prior to a test as a valuable, even essential, part of their preparation to ensure they perform as well as possible on the test.

Let’s take the nervous/worried/hyped up factor before a test. Making music together has been found to lower cortisol levels which means students could normalise their pre-test stress and enter the test space with lowered anxiety.[3]